From j.mp/JasonSutherlin:
“In May 2012, five antifascists were arrested and, in early 2013, took non-cooperating plea deals for 3 felonies each for taking part in emphatically stopping a meeting of white supremacists organizing under the guise of the Illinois European Heritage Association at a restaurant in Tinley Park, Illinois. For more information, see tinleyparkfive.wordpress.com.

Jason Sutherlin is the LAST of the five to be released, rejoining us in September. Bloomington ABC, NYC ABC, Denver ABC, and Sacramento Prisoner Support have launched a campaign to start a release fund for Jason. By the time Jason is released he’ll have been locked up for almost 2.5 years, will have a felony record, and certain things just won’t be the same. Let’s help him make a smooth transition! Let’s raise some money and secure a release fund that will welcome him upon his release. Your donations will help Jason pay costs of living and support his family while he gets back on his feet.”
Please remember that prisoner support doesn’t end when a comrade is released. Through halfway houses, supervised release, parole, or probation, there is usually state supervision beyond the initial sentence. Also, prison is traumatic. And of course there is the stigma of being a former prisoner that effects nearly every aspect of one’s life. All of this adds up to the less obvious, but equally necessary, support needed when our loved ones come home. Donate to your ability and show an anti-fascist comrade how we welcome folks home.

If for whatever reason you’d rather donate to Jason offline, please make the check payable to Jason Sutherlin and mail it to:Sacramento Prisoner SupportPost Office Box 163126Sacramento, California 95816

If you’d like to write to Jason to let him know you’re thinking of him and that you’re glad he’s getting out soon, he’d love to hear from you. His current address is:Jason Sutherlin M34023East Moline Correctional Center100 Hillcrest RoadEast Moline, Illinois 61244

When it comes to thanks, I don’t know where to begin. Do I mention certain individuals or organizations? Do I start with the cards and letters full of love and support? How about the amount of donations that came in for the book drive back at Robinson’s library? Or, do I lead off with all of the fundraising that kept money in the commissary and continues to pour in for help post-release? I should probably lead off with the lovely lady in my life that has sacrificed and endured so much for me and our relationship the last couple of years. Maybe it should be the amazing legal team that stepped up and have continued to help to this day. I can’t forget my new friend that has opened his home and heart to me in my greatest time of need. I must mention all of the people that used to flood the courtroom in solidarity every time they would walk us in there. With so many wonderful people, faces old and new, doing so many amazing things, it’s impossible for my thanks to have a beginning or an end. The thanks that I have for all of you is so deep and infinite that it can’t be measured or explained. Any act of kindness, no matter how big or small, has meant the world to me, as well as the other four. Thankfully, we’re down to just two, and in a few weeks it’ll just be one. Let’s show my brothers our love, support, and appreciation for them. Thank every last one of you for all you’ve done and continue to do!

“These past 20 months have been an ordeal to say the least. From court drama to safety issues to just the woes of incarceration itself, this has been a trying process. Yet, even within the darkness of a cell, cut off from the world, some light could still be seen. Your letters, donation,s and noisy solidarity were things of beauty to eyes forced to view the despair of a broken system day after day and eyes that could not help but watch as any glimmer of hope faded from so many youths as they were dehumanized by the tortuous conditions in which they were forced to dwell. Your zines brought much needed and often obscured information into a citadel of ignorance and fear, your books lifted the weight of monotonous oppression, and your donations aided in the welfare of so many with nothing but the state to care for them. A parcel of food here or some cosmetics there so often mean the difference between another night spent hungry or unclean and a good night’s rest, and never doubt the weight of one’s spirit in a time of need. Sadness, loneliness, and a lack of basic human needs often crush that vital spark necessary for a meaningful, productive, life and sadly press those “corrected” into a self-defeating cycle of unchecked violence or harsh drug use.

For so much I am thankful for the supporters, but of greatest importance was the solidarity. Your constant stream of letters and cards not only kept myself sane, but also gave tangible, physical proof of solidarity which revealed the tremendous weight of the conviction of people from the real world who likewise are willing to make a stand against the far too often accepted evils of the world, to an incarcerated populace who had often not heard of such people before. The attention brought by the constant stream of mail peaked curiosity and drove many to question what was going on. This in turn lead to discussions, which in turn lead to some longer discussions that I hope have made a difference in at least a few lives over the course of my stint of incarceration.

Now that I am free I am no less thankful for everything I have received from our amazing support network, which is in itself a testament to the will of a people willing to sacrifice to make a change. A support network populated by good hearted, noble people who have often suffered first hand under the weight of unchecked and unopposed malice. Thank you once again for everything you have done and continue to do; you are indeed an amazing people.

In Solidarity,
John Tucker”

While John is now out of prison, he undoubtedly needs the kind of support that those nearest to him can provide. At the same time, one of the Tinley Park Five remain imprisoned. Please take this time to write to him. Jason’s address is:

Sorry it’s taken me so long to put this out. I’ve been working on my transition back in to the world and so far everyone has been great with helping me out with everything. I kinda feel like a new born, HA. Anyway, I just wanted to write something and post it up for everyone to see that I’m out now and am doing ok. Most of all I want to say thank you to everyone for helping me with everything during my incarceration. It’s still so very surreal. Prison was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but people like all of you who exist with your endless love: I couldn’t have done any of this without you. I would also like to thank you for all the help you’ve been giving my four friends during their stint in Dante’s Inferno. It’s really hard to put into words how much all of you mean to me. Because of you I’ve been able to survive and stay strong. Your solidarity continues to leave me speechless. I want to thank you for all the books and amazing letters that I received. I hope my letters made it to you. I did my best to personally write everyone back and if you didn’t here back from me it’s prolly because the gestopo was withholding my mail. I want to personally thank the whole A.R.A. network, Denver, New York, and south side ABC, and every other chapter in between; Kieran (your mom’s books are great), Philly antifa, Kat from Oak Roots Press, all the kids in Germany, Allina Dollot in France, and especially my home crew in Lafayette and Bloomington (you guys are the best!), my big brothers NOMAD and TELLY; oh and my homie Petey from Sacramento Prisoner Support. Last but not least I wanna thank two very special people that I hold very dear to my heart: Stephanie from the Bloomington ABC and Sara Garber, my amazing lawyer. If I believed in guardian angels I would be convinced that you two were the real deal… I love you both soooooo fucking much! Thank you to anyone who wrote a letter; went to a fundraiser; made a visit; told some one about our case; and kept me, John, Jason, Cody, and Dylan in your hearts. All of you mean so much to me; without you all of this would have been a nightmare. Thank you so, so much!

Looking back on this crazy year since our arrest in Tinley Park, it occurs to me just how fortunate I am to have such an amazing support network. From letters to donations, your constant aid has eased the burden imposed upon us by the state. Ultimately though the greatest gift we have received has been the camaraderie from both near and far, given freely by those who are unable to remain inactive in this volatile political environment and who willingly shoulder the weight of the state alongside their comrades. Truly you have shown us the meaning of the word solidarity in both speech and action.

As a community and as individuals you never stop amazing me. The support and solidarity I have felt from all of you is nothing less than overwhelming and amazing. I have been receiving a steady stream of mail and books since being placed in my current institution. Y’all are bad asses!! To all my birthday well wishers and all of you who decided “/b/ my valentine”, I love you all.

To everyone who just writes to let me know I’m supported and remembered, either at letter parties or on your own, thank you. I love your letters and appreciate each one. Whether you are telling me about your pets, passions, interests, views, hopes, trumpets, or arm wrestling tactics (that wrist thing is cheating btw)… I find them all interesting and often hilarious. I am unable to respond to all of you every time, but I want you all to know I value every word and you make my week every time I get a letter. Also I am not able to send letters out of the US right now. I do want to send some love to Queensland, Australia. Your letter was awesome and I wish I could write back. Much love to the French Resistance and a certain comrade in Germany. You’re rad K.

So I feel as though only the Cook County Jail could ever make a person “ready to get to prison”. Needless to say my conditions have improved greatly. I can purchase stuff like dental floss. I can workout. and I now have a walkman. Yes. A real walkman with real, or should I say, reel tapes. I am probably the only person in any prison with a Bjork tape! I’m also in classes which helps pass my time and I can earn days off my sentence. I have been treated professionally and the same as every person around me.

So before I close I want to touch on a subject that has come up over and over again in radical circles and radical causes. It’s time to ask yourself some hard questions when thinking about taking direct action. Are you prepared to be locked up? Are you willing to stay locked up to protect your comrades and community? Solidarity is a gift and a responsibility. Please ask yourself and be honest. If you don’t believe you can commit to the safety of your comrades and community, take a different path. We can all use the skills we have in the ways we are comfortable. There is so much work to do. So many ways to push for the world we hope to see. Please be safe, think tactically, and keep standing for what you know to be right.

I want to close with love and thanks to all of you. You all give me hope and remind me that some people actually care and that not everyone is a racist, sexist, homophobe… just most of the people that surround me at this moment in time. I still have hope for so many reasons and all of you contribute to that.

I want to publicly thank all my hometown heroes and all the folks holding down rad bookstores from North Carolina to Indiana to Sacramento working on prison support. To my own “dream team” doing research on how to mitigate the damage of mass incarceration and to my own light, who guides me everyday. I would be lost without you. To my crew, love y’all to death!! I’ll be home before too long.

The Tinley Park Five are all pretty much settled into the facilities they’ll probably serve the duration of their sentences at. They’re all really happy to be out of Cook County and be in facilities where the inmates want nothing more than to do their time and get out. They’re all able to exercise, watch television, listen to music, and read in order to pass the time quickly.

We’ve also been told to make sure we give a shout out to Anarchist Black Cross (especially Denver, Chicago, NYC, and Bay Area) for their ongoing and continual support. Another big shout out to those members of the Anonymous collective who have supported #opValentine and #opPenPal (not to mention #opStormFrontRaid, #freeAnon, #opBlitzkrieg, and #opRacism). It means a lot to them to know that they’re not forgotten. They are continually amazed at how much suipport they’re receiving from all around the world.

I spoke with one of the Tinley Park Five on the phone a couple days ago. Apparently he has been getting so much mail that he raised the suspicion of one of the guards. This guard approached him, a “humongous beast of a man”, with a shaved head and white skin.

“Who the fuck are you? Why are you getting so much mail?”

He tried unsuccessfully to evade the issue. “My girl writes a lot…”

“Motherfucker I’m just going to go home and google your ass. Who’s ass did you beat to get this ‘mob action’ conviction?” the guard asked menacingly.

At this point, our young friend is pretty convinced that this guard is going to be giving him hell for the duration of his sentence, but there’s nothing he can really do. There’s nothing he can do to stop this guy from typing his name in a search engine. So what else can he do but step up and own his beliefs.

After he tells the guard just exactly what he’s in for, the guard smirks and shakes his head and starts reaching for what my friend thinks is the can of pepper spray the guards carry on their holster. It turns out though that the guard was just reaching for his wallet. He unfolds it and shows some pictures of his beautiful black wife and children.

“You’ll be fine in here…” He says as he chuckles and walks away.

Moral of the story: Don’t judge a book by it’s cover I guess.

Anyhow…

Prison Censorship

So there’s a little bit of a problem with mail and reading materials getting confiscated by the mail room. Typically when a prisoner’s mail is confiscated they get a slip saying that there was a package that was sent back for security violations and sometimes they give a lose explanation as to why. Apparently with the high volume of mail, one of the TP5 got about twenty of these confiscation notices in one week.

While these notices aren’t supposed to carry any consequences, it does draw a lot of unwanted attention to our comrades. Since all of the TP5 expect to get parole immediately upon becoming eligible, we’re all just apprehensive about giving the State any excuse to extend the length of their incarceration.

Also, very concretely, they simply aren’t getting the materials. Please don’t stop sending them zines and political reading though! We’re just asking that if you send them things, try to avoid materials with inflammatory rhetoric, anything they’re going to try to say is ‘gang-related’, explicitly violent material, or get this… anything with a can or bottle of beer visible in the pictures. Once you start sending them stuff you can work with them to try to make sure that they’re getting as much of it as possible. Apparently a lot of these decisions are pretty arbitrary and depends largely on who’s working the mail room any given day.